Cranberry Pear Sauce

by Anne Bennett on November 19, 2016

The pears turn pink when cooked with the cranberries. Caution: Don’t wear white!

I fondly remember my mother’s ‘homemade’ cranberry sauce. Here’s her recipe: stir together one can of whole berry cranberry sauce, 1/2 cup orange marmalade and whole blanched almonds. My memory is fond not because I liked it but because she thought it was gourmet. I suspect she got the recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine, the American woman’s homemaking bible in the 1950’s and ’60’s. (Remember the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval”?)

While Minerva (my mom’s nickname) was an excellent cook, I confess that I haven’t carried on her cranberry sauce tradition. Besides, I’m certain that she’d prefer this recipe from Skinnytaste.com, which combines sweet pears and tart fresh cranberries with a touch of honey. It’s got two things going for it right off the bat: it isn’t as overly sweet as the recipe on the back of the cranberry bag and it’s only 2 WW SmartPoints per 1/4 cup serving. Another delicious, healthy-eating win-win!

If Minerva were here, this would be her new gourmet (albeit easy-to-make) Thanksgiving tradition.

Bring all ingredients to a boil on medium-high heat in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool before refrigerating. Serve chilled or at room temperature.